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Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows

September 10, 2018/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows: In a special column, Rob Peers, head greenkeeper at Hever Castle Golf Club talks about an exciting first year in the job: I took up my post as head greenkeeper at Hever Castle Golf Club just over a year ago – and what a year it’s been. One of the greatest […]

Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance

September 10, 2018/in News, People, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance: Henrique Ferreira, a 23-year-old Portuguese national, has been at The London Golf Club for just five months. During a break from his studies, at agronomy college in his home country, he has been assisting Golf Courses & Estate Manager, Lee Sayers. Headland Amenity work closely with his employers, Belas Golf Club, as well as […]

Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows

September 10, 2018/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance

September 10, 2018/in News, People, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

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Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows

September 10, 2018/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows: In a special column, Rob Peers, head greenkeeper at Hever Castle Golf Club talks about an exciting first year in the job:

I took up my post as head greenkeeper at Hever Castle Golf Club just over a year ago – and what a year it’s been.

One of the greatest challenges has been a tropical heatwave that seems to have lasted all summer!

For the team at the Golf Club, watering this summer took on a new and interesting dimension with the addition of nine new flower meadows.

The meadows are situated in Hever Castle’s gardens and Hever Golf Course: they cover an area of 4,500 square metres on Lake Walk (in the Castle grounds) and the golf course itself.

Each of the nine selected areas had different considerations and their own micro climate, environment and purpose. It was really important to us to select sites that would improve bio-diversity and functionality in areas which had previously been dominated by aggressive species such as bramble and nettle.

My team nicknamed the first area they developed ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’, and it was the first point of contact as we passed through the fence from the golf course into the grounds of the castle. We felt when we entered this part of the castle’s beautiful grounds that we’d escaped!

When we began prepping the ground back in March we could hardly dare dream of the kaleidoscope of rainbow colours that would burst forth beside the Lake.

The fourteen species including Calendula officinalis (Marigold), Centaurea cyanus (Cornflower), Cosmos bipinnatus, Linum grandiflorum (Flax) and Papaver rheas (Common Poppy) have delighted visitors and the team alike.

We sowed the rainbow mix beside the lake in May and the flowers should bloom until November. This is my preferred mix and includes marigold, cosmos, flax and poppy – it looks great and is a very good pollinator.

A real highlight for me this year was the rediscovery of the Anne of Cleves Bower House folly.

I’d been walking in the woodland area with our CEO Duncan Leslie who was explaining the work that was ongoing on the Loggia in the castle grounds. The water in the lake had been lowered and as we walked beside, what I believe was the original path of the River Eden, I spotted a step in the water. I broke off suddenly from our conversation and rushed to take a closer look.

The steps were part of the folly, which had previously been hidden among the under-growth.

We believe the folly dates from the time of the Astors but it looks like they used medieval brick to create it, and there are two heraldic shields for Anne of Cleves.

It was thrilling to uncover it for the first time in years and bring it back to life with a more subtle and feminine flower mix for Anne.

We planted species such as Anethum graveolens (Dill), Borago officinalis (Borage), Callistephus Chinensis (China Aster) and Lupinus nanus (Lupin) here.

The meadow areas on the golf course itself have a more sympathetic visual appearance with more native and naturalised species from a mix called ‘Flora Britannica’ which includes Achillea millefolium (Yarrow), Aquilegia vulgaris (Common columbine), Borago officinalis (Borage) and Campanula carpatica (Tussock bellflower).

It not only looks great, but it fits in beautifully with the landscape and has also proved to be another fantastic pollinator.

The creation of the meadows has been a real boost for the team – when the flowers began appearing, it’s no exaggeration to say that we’d go down and giggle like school children as we marvelled at the changing floral landscape.

Even though the meadows are still in full bloom, my thoughts are turning to next year and to possible new meadow areas.

If you like meadows, then why not have a go – if you get the right seed mix and you prepare the ground well, then the results are spectacular.

I don’t know whether the flowers in the meadows would have been higher if we’d had more rainfall, and we can only speculate at the moment why some areas have dominant yellows and others have more pinks – we will continue to monitor their progress and note down the different habitats – the amount of light in one, and the subtle differences of soil in others, and see what happens next year.

Watch this space!

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Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance

September 10, 2018/in News, People, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance: Henrique Ferreira, a 23-year-old Portuguese national, has been at The London Golf Club for just five months. During a break from his studies, at agronomy college in his home country, he has been assisting Golf Courses & Estate Manager, Lee Sayers. Headland Amenity work closely with his employers, Belas Golf Club, as well as The London Golf Club and were very happy to see this young greenkeeper gain valuable course preparation experience in the UK.

Henrique, a greenkeeper at his home course of Belas GC, came to London in April and his experience of using Headland Amenity products helped him fit right in! “Lee and the team included me in all of the daily tasks” he explains “from raking bunkers through to cutting all areas. I have also been involved with feeding, working with Headland Multigreen slow release fertiliser.”

“The biggest difference I have found between greenkeeping here and at home is the aeration programme – how frequently it is conducted and how it makes such a big difference to the quality of the course. All in all I have learnt a great deal and have to thank the whole greenkeeping and landscaping team at The London Club, for such a great experience.”

For more information, visit: www.headlandamenity.com

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows

Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance

Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows

Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance

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Head Greenkeeper Talks Flower Meadows

Greenkeeper’s Anglo-Portugese Alliance

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